


Up, B, X

by Crissahavener



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: "English", Characters are all 18+, F/M, Fluff, Humans can't understand Pokemon, Kinda Self-Insert, Knuckle Badge Get, More tags will come as the Chapters get posted, Nuzlocke Challenge, Other, Pokemon Deaths, Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Smut, Stone Badge Get, Team Aqua - Freeform, Vanilla, 「Japanese」
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-06
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-13 09:51:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7972450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crissahavener/pseuds/Crissahavener
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is going to be a story to go alongside a play-through of Alpha Sapphire, and attempt at a Nuzlocke. The rules are listed at the beginning of the first chapter and there will be smut as well as other graphic scenes. The Series will use both "English" and 「Japanese」 since Hoenn is part of Japan, and the character is from "around Kalos."</p><p>--This work has been suspended indefinitely. I'm sorry...--</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Settling Back In

**Author's Note:**

> This is completely and utterly my first work here on this site, but I'm not new to writing at all. Please do leave feedback and let me know what you think! And now, the Rules:  
> 1: A Pokemon that Faints is considered dead and is boxed.  
> 1a: For each gym badge obtained, it is possible to prevent a death/ bring back a Pokemon.  
> 1b: Any Pokemon may only be brought back once.  
> 2: Only 1 catch is allowed per Route, and it must be the first encounter.  
> 2a: The Pokenav is allowed for this, only for the first detected Pokemon though, if it is scared off, then a random encounter must be caught.  
> 2b: The first encounter is allowed a '3 strike' system, to avoid capturing duplicates of species.  
> 3: No Traded or PSS Pokemon, whether from people IRL or NPC's in-game.  
> 4: No 'Save Abuse.'  
> 5: Battle Style Set.  
> 6: No Held Items. Pickup Items are to be taken as soon as the player is aware the Pokemon picked something up.  
> 7: No Daycare, No EXP Share.  
> 8: No USING Legendaries. No USING the Master Ball. (These will still be obtained for Story purposes and for Play AFTER the run is over.)  
> 9: SHINY CLAUSE ABOVE ALL ELSE! -for random encounters ONLY though, no 'farmed' shinies.

* * *

As the sound of an engine filled the rear compartment of the moving van, the sole passenger wondered what on earth she was doing back there with her Pokenav. She wasn't new to raising Pokemon and battling, but she was coming to Hoenn from a place where they spoke a completely different language. She knew that she could speak their language alright, but didn't have the most confidence.

-Littleroot Town-

She realized soon that the van had stopped. She got up and moved to the van door, and opened it so she could step out to her new home. She saw her mom leave the building in front of her and usher her inside quickly.「Hurry, hurry! Your dad got you a clock and you need to set it, but more importantly, I want you to be happy with your new room.」

She looked at her mom with a confused look. "I understood you, but are you going to stop talking to me in-"「Dear, if you don't get used to it, you're going to have a problem remembering everything you learned! You can't be a trainer here in Hoenn if you can't understand what people are saying!」  
She groaned and just moved past her mom to go upstairs and see her room. She immediately saw the clock and took it down to fiddle with the dials on the back to set the time. She saw her name engraved into the back of it and chuckled with the sole thought of her dad. He liked to do silly little things like this.

'Crissa.'

She hung it back up and looked around her room, realizing it was actually really nice. Simple, open, and really comfy. Too bad she was starting another trip around the region. She loved exploring and raising Pokemon, not so much battling though. She knew that there were plenty of risks in battling, and things could escalate quickly. It scared her sometimes.  
          「Alright Mom, I set my clock.」  
「Wonderful. Your pronunciation could use some work, but I think you'll be alright.」  
          「Right, so what now? Who do I go see about getting a starter?」  
「Oh, that would be the Pokemon Professor here, Prof. Birch.」  
          "Ok Mom, see ya!"  
"What did I say!?"  
          「Haha, got ya! I knew you were really focusing on not speaking-」

The both of them got cut off as a knock rang out at the door. It was the boy from next door.  
Brendan.  
He looked to the both of them. 「Did I interrupt..? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to.」 He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped back.  
_Holy shit he's cute. Like, really cute. He's saying something, his mouth is moving. Wait, what was it that he said..?_

「Well thank you for stopping by and letting us know!」 Crissa's mom said as Brendan took off. 「You caught that right?」  
Crissa just nodded, and headed out the door. Her mom didn't stop her, so she assumed she was clear and was supposed to leave. She looked around as the door closed behind her, and took in a breath of air. It was much cleaner here than it was back in her old home and it was incredibly refreshing. She looked around and saw a girl standing at the entrance to the Route to the north. "Hey, Whatcha' looking at?"

The girl gave her a confused look. She was already messing up, and re-asked the question after slapping her forehead lightly. 「Sorry. I'm not from here. What are you looking at?」 The girl turned back to the Route ahead. 「There's someone over there, and I think they're in trouble. I heard screaming, but now I don't hear them anymore. I'm slightly worried.」

A quick change of expression and Crissa ran out into the Route. Even if she didn't have Pokemon, she felt like she had to help if someone was in trouble. Getting out near the grass, she saw someone shoo'ing off a Poochyena. From a tree. He also looked very out of breath.

          "Are-" ... 「Are you okay over there!?」  
「Yes! ... No! ... Help! Grab one of the Pokemon from my bag!」  
_Am I really about to start my journey like this?_  
After reaching in and pulling a ball out blindly, she tossed it forward with a command. "Go!"

A red beam sprang from within the sphere after it had opened, a green reptile looking back after standing up. It eyed Crissa, then looked forward. "Cmon, you're gonna help me save him! Tackle that thing! Pound! Scratch! Something!" She knew Pokemon didn't have much when they were little like this guy.  
It seemed to understand her perfectly fine as it darted forward and twirled, pounding it's tail right against the side of the canine-looking wild Pokemon. With its attention suddenly turned, it fought back. It tackled the green Pokemon and shoved it backwards a bit.

"Pound again!" This time, as the Poochyena kept it's advance up, the Pokemon bounced with a flip and slammed the Poochyena over the head and into the dirt. It landed behind the dazed creature and repositioned, looking back to Crissa. "One more should be good! If you don't knock it out, it'll just run away I think."  
The Poochyena got up turning around and pouncing right to it's demise.

This reptile didn't intend on going easy. It made that clear as it bounced once more, and as the tail came down, a loud crack was heard. The tail had landed right against the back of the Poochyena's neck, and stayed with it until it touched down and snapped from the force.  
Everything stood still in that moment as the reptile rolled forward and stood over the corpse of the wild Pokemon.

This is why Crissa tended to avoid fighting. The man descended from the tree as she ran to the creature and checked it over. It was a worried panic that flooded her as she freaked out. She didn't order that, but the first thing the man said as he approached her- 「You... You didn't have to-」「I DIDN'T ORDER THAT THING TO KILL THIS POOR CREATURE! YOU THINK I WANTED THIS!?」 She screamed at him, pain and fear in her eyes. There was no way she was responsible and he could tell.

* * *

 They walked back to Littleroot and went into the lab building. She held the ball with the reptile in it. 「That's a Treecko. I'll let you have that, since you're starting your journey.」  
          「You think I-! ...」 She stopped herself and looked at it. "Treecko huh? That's not too appealing to me, how about..." She thought for a bit. The professor looked at her confused and she looked back to him.  
          「Your name is gonna be Ghibli.」  
「So, you are going to keep him? I know what has happened so far is alot to take in already.」  
          「If I want to start my journey, I need a Pokemon right?」 She let Ghibli out of his ball and looked at him. "I hope you heard me. Your name is Ghibli now, alright?" He nodded, and sort of smirked at her. "You're not gonna give me trouble are you?" to which he shook his head.  
「I can't quite understand what you're saying, but I assume you'll do wonderfully. I wish you the best of luck. If you can go talk to Brendan, you'll find him out in the field past Oldale town. I'd love to get to talk to you both together.」  
          「Yes, of course. I'll definitely go find him and come back with him.」 She said with a sparkle in her eye. "Cmon Ghibli, time to get some alone time with the cutie!" She said, jogging out of the lab, reptile close behind.

After talking to the helpful shop-hand in Oldale and receiving some Potions, she continued on and finally found Brendan. Alone. In some tall grass. 「Hey Brendan! Fancy meeting you out here!」

He chuckled and just looked at her. 「What do you mean? I told you and your mother I'd be out along the Routes if my dad asked about me. We went over all this at your place.」 She internally winced and looked at him. 「Riiight... Right. How about a battle?」

「Oh that sounds interesting, I suppose I would be up for a quick battle~」  
          「Can I make it interesting? An extra wager, if you will!」  
「Sure.」  
          「If I win-」 "I get to kiss you~" 「... Sound fair?」  
"Alright, but if I win, I'm gonna go for a little more than just a kiss." He replied with a wink.

 She turned pale. She understood him completely, and he even spoke back fluently. She immediately didn't know whether to win to avoid whatever could potentially happen, or lose on purpose to see what could potentially happen. Both seemed good. She wanted to get to him more, especially in that way.  
「Cmon out Torchic. Let's battle!」 He said with a cheer as his Pokemon sprung forth. Ghibli became immediately on edge, and stepped forward. 「He seems ready to go, are you?」  
          「Yeah, don't underestimate us! That'd be a stupid move.」 She replied, getting back into the hang of things. She shot a look to Ghibli though, that read  _'If you kill that Torchic, I'm gonna slice your tail off and cook it for food. I don't care if it doesn't grow back...'_  
He understood perfectly. The battle started, and Ghibli came out on top, knocking out the Torchic rather quickly.

「Oof, wow. You must be a natural battler, the communication you have with your Treecko there is amazing!」 He recalled his Torchic and rubbed the back of his neck. 「Hey, I do want to let you know though I was joking about my part of the wager, I would never do something like that. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity because you tried to catch me off guard like that.」 He looked at her as she walked forward to him.  
"I wasn't..." She said as she grabbed the backpack strap and his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. She closed her eyes quickly as she deepened it rather quickly, feeling him tense up but slowly relax.

He brought his hands up to her hips and gently held onto her as they made out and she pushed him back against the grass at the end of the Route. 「Arceus be damned... Are you really about to try this here? We could just go back to my place... I know your mother will be home, so, really...」 He pointed this out through a breathy voice.  
          「Actually yeah, we need to get back to the lab, but let's get some more research done before reporting back to your dad...」 She said with a blush.  
「Please... and thank you~」 He said.


	2. Spur of the Moment.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Crissa spends some intimate time at Brendan's place with him, things get heated after she has to go back home to get new clothes and a few things from her room. She gets a Pokedex after cooling off, and begins her journey proper.

Crissa and Brendan walked into the 2 story house in Littleroot and looked around before heading into Brendan's room. She dropped her bag, he tossed his aside, and she pushed him back onto his bed. 「You know, we'll probably be rivals throughout my trip as a trainer. Will that come between us?」She asked him.

「I don't know. You don't have to talk to me like this though. We both know Kalan.」

            "Right." She paused as she felt his chest. He wasn't muscular, but he still felt strong.

「It's just easier for me not to speak Kalan, so I hope you don't mind.」To which she shook her head. "Honestly I can understand you just fine." She smiled and took off her hair-band and hair-tie, letting it all fall down, veiling around both of their heads so that all they could see were each others faces.

            "Brendan. You haven't really moved. Are you alright?"

「Yeah, why do you ask?」He was incredibly nervous, but putting on a very steeled act.

            「I can't help but fall for you...」

「Happens, I guess? I'm interested you didn't say that in Kalan though. Those words carry more weight in Hoenn.」

She nodded and leaned in to kiss him. His reciprocation was instant and his hands moved up to unbutton her shirt. She continued to kiss and lick at his lips, her face turning flush. His hands finished with her shirt and went up to grab her breasts, fondling them over her bra, and she pulled back with a small whine.

「C'mon now... you can't be that sensitive...」

            "Shut it Brendan." She huffed out.

「Okay, okay.」He smiled and continued to squeeze his hands over her chest. He raised a knee to press his leg between hers, feeling her shiver and begin to grind against his thigh. 「You're a bit eager for this huh? 」

With no response from her she rolled over to his side, clutching at his shirt and looking at him with her hair down against his bed. He stood up and took his hat off, then his shirt. Looking at her, he unbuckled his belt and took off his pants. She lay there looking at him and felt her face burn up as he stood there in just his boxers. He moved close and leaned over her, gently kissing at her neck as he undid her shorts, getting up and pulling them off.

Next he sat her up and continued to tend to her neck as she held and felt his body. He slowly took off her shirt and tossed it aside as she clutched to him.

Both of them down to just their underwear and alone in his room, she pulled him back down onto the bed, right on top of her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them up at her sides, getting slowly more aggressive. He left a few marks on her neck before returning to her lips and calming back down.

            "You're too sweet to be this good."

「Sorry. That's just the way I am.」He chuckled. He had let go of her hand to reach over to the small bedside table and pulled out a condom. She knew what was going to go down  on her and Arceus be damned- she was more than ready. She would definitely have to go home and get new underwear after this.

Brendan slid down, taking his boxers off after taking off her panties. He spread her legs a little and slowly toyed a finger around before leaning in to lick against her slit. This made her absolute shudder as she was removing her bra, tossing it on the floor next to the bed. "Please stop messing with me, I'm burning up inside."

「Don't worry-」He gave another long lick. 「I'm not gonna keep you waiting any longer.」

He moved forward, condom already on, as he slowly positioned himself and pushed, sliding inside of her. Her arms shot up and clung around him as she whined and moaned out loudly. Aside from her surprising vocality, he continued on gently and caringly. He held her close and occasionally pushed a little harder, kissing her cheeks and neck, and occasionally making new marks or making old ones a little bigger. His hands toyed with her breasts and teased her nipples, making sure to pinch them every now and then to illicit a sharp cry of pleasure from her.

She felt him, moving in and out of her body and her muscles tightened around him with every push and pull- she could hardly contain herself. They spent a long time, embraced and feeling each other in the most intimate way before finally Brendan quivered a bit. His pushing got a little rougher, and more shaky. He grabbed her, starting to move faster, holding her down as he groaned out. She felt it. The tip of the condom filling up as he came. She had cum plenty of times while he fucked her and toyed with her neck, and she couldn't be happier.

He pulled out slowly, laying next to her panting. 「Crissa-」

            _Holy shit... We just fucked. I actually did it. Wow._

They lay there silently. Brendan sat up and tossed the condom away in the trash bin at the foot of his bed, and rejoined her.

「That was beyond amazing. I can't tell you how great that felt...」

            "Same..." She panted out. She was looking at him now, smiling. They decided to take a nap, about an hour or so, then get to the lab.

* * *

Crissa walked into her home and walked to the stair before her mom saw her. 「Oh, you let your hair down. Did that boy from next door say something? I always told you that you looked better with it down.」She laughed and then noticed Crissa's neck.

「What is that- What happened to your- Crissa! What on earth did you do!?」

            「Mom wait! It's not what you think! I can explain!」She tried to shrink a little, expecting little mercy in this compromising moment. 「I... I did let my hair down to show off to Brendan. I really like him! I had a battle with him, and we made a bet on it, and I won. I bet that if I won, I'd get to kiss him- and then I got caught up in it and my heart was beating really fast..!」

「I can't believe you! You barely even know the boy Crissa!」

            「I know mom, I'm sorry! What else do you want me to say!?」Things were somehow only getting louder.

"I want you to go tell your dad what you've done! I'll leave the punishment up to him."

            "M-mom c'mon. Don't make me tell dad, please!"

 

Brendan stood outside the door with his hand frozen an inch from the wooden door. He was hearing everything unfold inside.

 

            "I can't! I know you're mad but we weren't stupid. We had protection, we took it slow. He's such a nice guy mom!" She was holding back the start of the waterworks.

"Have you seen your neck? It looks like you got mauled by a Furfrou!"

            "Mom, please..!" She teared up. Her eyes began watering. A few tears ran down her face and her mother noticed immediately. "Please mom... I really feel... like I might actually love him."

Her mom avoided eye contact and sighed. "Just go talk to your father about this." Crissa ran up to her room quickly and just changed, hastily grabbing some things and running out of the house. She ran out to the trees in front of the research lab and hid behind a large pine, crying to herself.

* * *

"Crissa..?" a voice softly spoke behind the tree. "Please... talk to me."

            "B-Brendan. What are you doing?" She fought her tears and started wiping her cheeks.

「I'm worried about you. I went over to get you after I cleaned myself up and right before I knocked on your door, I heard you both yelling at each other.」

            "I fucked up Brendan! My mom was right, I hardly even know you!" She hit the ground with a fist.

「You don't regret it, do you..?」He asked her softly. She paused and clutched her knees to her chest.

            「Of course I don't. I think I might really love you Brendan, but I'm so impulsive.」

「Then I'll go with you to see your dad, so you don't have to do that alone. Let's go to the lab and see what my dad wants first though, alright?」

Crissa stood up and slowly came out from behind the tree, looking at him and throwing her arms around him. He returned the hug and tried to keep her calm.

They went to the lab and Crissa got her own Pokedex and Brendan handed her a bag with some Pokeballs in it. Professor Birch caught eye of her neck, and looked over at Brendan who took notice. They quickly made their exit.

 

Back on Route 101, they walked together and Brendan explained more of the Pokenav features to her.

「-see? Let's try it out now.」Brendan said as he began to look around a patch of tall grass, to busy to hear the rustling behind him. 「Aha, the Pokenav found something see! Try to catch this Poochyena-」He was speaking as Ghibli zoomed past, grabbing and flipping the Poochyena as he sunk a pair of small fangs against the wild Pokemon's neck. It squirmed for a bit, kicking and stuggling, and then it stopped moving.

           「Wow. Absorb is intense... Besides, I already caught a Poochyena. His name is Cooper!」She smiled at him.

 

They trained with other trainers out on Route 102, and Crissa got a Zigzagoon while walking through the tall grass. 「She's so cute! I'll name you... Marie!」The team was slowly building up, but Ghibli seemed to be quite the trouble maker now. His fighting would get more intense the longer battles seemed to go on, and he seemed to pull Cooper along. Marie got down and straightened them out though it seemed.

            Marie:*Hey you two! Cut it out, what do you think you're doing!*

            Ghibli:*What, afraid you'll get hurt again? Please, go suck on a Pinap Berry.*

            Cooper:*Yeah, you're a weak little Zigzagoon!*

            "Hey! HEY! No fighting you guys! You're all a team!" She broke up the fight between the Pokemon, even if she didn't know what they were saying. She saw the aggressiveness between the three of them. "I expect better from you Ghibli. You need to set a good example for these two!" Ghibli simply spat on the floor in front of her. She set them all inside their Pokeballs and continued on with Brendan. What on earth was up with Ghibli..?


	3. Coming Clean & Companion Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brendan and Crissa finally get to Petalburg and talk to Crissa's Father after sleeping in the Pokemon Center overnight. That same night, Ghibli gets real with Cooper and Marie. After the morning comes, they help a frail boy catch his very first pokemon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if you are reading this, it really would mean the world if you could leave a kudos and a comment with any criticism and/or recommendations for my writing!

* * *

Evening- First day of Travel - Outside of Petalburg.

 

「Hey, Crissa. How are you feeling? You seem to be kinda popular with those trainers back there.」Brendan chuckled to himself.

            「Do you mind?」She retorted. She was still in a sour mood, and would have to stick around Petalburg for the night. Luckily, she could avoid her dad for the night as well by staying at the Pokemon Center. They walked into the Center together, and up to the nurse behind the counter.

「Hi, can we get a pair of rooms?」

「I'm sorry, we only have one room left. It has a Full size bed though, so you and your girlfriend can share it.」The nurses words cut deep into Crissa's emotions.

            「What did yo-」「Perfect, we are so thankful you'll let us share the room!」Brendan cut her off. He shot a look at the distressed girl and gently took hold of her hand. "Cmon, dear..."

* * *

Sundown - Petalburg Pokemon Center

 

            "Real smooth Brendan, thanks. This is just what I need!"

"I bet it is!" He scoffed and glared to her. "Look at how you're acting! You're a damn adult Crissa, and you're acting like some young pre-teen!"

He was right. Why was this affecting her so much? Why could her mom get at her so well? "Sorry Brendan..."

"It's fine, but I want a bed to sleep on, and so do you, and I know you don't mind sharing one with me already." He held a hand out to her.

            "Why are you speaking Kalan with me, why now?"

"So the people in the rooms around us don't know what we're talking about. I learned Kalan to translate for my dad because I work with him, but not as many hours as he does. It took me 3 years to learn Kalan."

She took the 3 balls off her belt and let her Pokemon out. "Ghibli, Cooper, Marie." The three Pokemon looked up at her. "I want you to spend tonight to bond, alright? We're heading to bed, so you can run off outside, just make sure not to stay out too late."

Ghibli nodded and leapt up onto the windowsill of the room's only window. Crissa opened it up and put a stopper in to prevent it from closing.

            "Please, try to get along."

Crissa left them and took her shorts off, joining Brendan under the bedsheet, curling close to him.

* * *

Night - Petalburg South Pond.

 

Ghibli looked at the other two, specifically Cooper. He was a follower Pokemon, and seemed to be following Marie rather than him.

G:*So... What do you two think of our Master?*

M:*What do you mean? She seems to know what she's doing. I trust her.*

C:*Yeah! I mean, She's already made me the strongest here! Well... next to you Ghibli.*

G*...*

C:*Ghibli? What's the matter?*

G:*I can tell she's an experienced trainer, but she's never seen combat so... raw- before. I can tell when I go at full force, she gets hesitant and queasy.*

M:*Then tone it down, you idiot. Nobody says you have to kill. You choose to take lives, and that's incredibly dangerous.*

G:*I don't choose to do anything Marie! I know what will happen if I don't! And you better wise up to it!* He got down in Marie's face, hissing a little. *If I don't kill, then I'm the one who's gonna get killed!*

Marie backed off and turned tail. *You're crazy, clearly. I feel sorry Crissa has to have you here on the team. You care only about yourself and not her. What about her well-being?*

Ghibli grabbed Marie's tail and yanked her back, grabbing her head and pressing her jaw against the dirt. Cooper was slowly backing up.

C:*G-guys please, cmon. Rem-*

G:*What about her well being!? What about yours! Do you want to die!? She doesn't know how to deal with the death toll I'm racking up, and you think she'll be okay if one of us goes like that!?*

Marie rolled into a ball, grabbing his hand and flipping him as she rolled forward and turned back to face him with a growl and a snap. *No I don't! But you aren't even trying to care for her! You're a heartless and sadistic animal! You think that you can tough up to me? Try me you worthless piece of meat!*

Ghibli backed up now, scooting away on his back. *Chill! Chill!*

C:*Marie, please!* Cooper jumped in between the both of them, looking into Maries hate filled eyes. *Stop this, before you actually tear each other apart. It's one thing if we die in battle, but to have in-fighting cause the loss of a teammate!?*

The other two fell silent. No growling, no hissing, no movement.

C:*I can't honestly understand you two...*

G:*Neither can I... I want to believe in our Master, but I can't respect her softness when it comes to battling. It's like she lived somewhere sheltered, away from the dangers of reality.*

M:*I... I can sense it too. I just don't want to accept. I intended to just plan around it and try my best, but that won't work forever.*

Ghibli looked to Marie and Cooper, then sat with his feet in the water of the pond. *This is going to be difficult, but at least you'll have each other.* Cooper blushed, but Marie looked at him confused. They sat together, talking about how to deal with Crissa's... Condition.

 

Ghibli stood up. *When the first gym rolls around, I'll do my best to make her understand.*

C&M:*We'll trust you for now...*

* * *

Dawn - Second Day of Travel - Petalburg Pokemon Center

 

Crissa slowly opened her eyes to see Ghibli curled up in her pants, Cooper and Marie cuddled together. She was being Brendan's 'Little Spoon' and let out little yawn as she started waking up.

            "Brendan, wake up."

"Five minutes..."

            "Brendan, I need to use the restroom and your arms are wrapped around me. Wake up."

"Fine..."

They took their time getting ready and sat down together on the bed at Crissa's request to have a moment to speak with him. Ghibli insisted on staying out of his Pokeball.

            "Brendan, this is tough. I've acted way out of line and have shown almost no self control since our battle. This thing between us isn't going to work out. At least not right now."

「I know that. Is that what you wanted to tell me?」He looked at her.「Crissa, I'm here to comfort you, and help you talk to your dad. That's it.」He rubbed the back of his neck.

            「Wait... so you were just going to leave after I talked to him.」

「Yes. I have work to do Crissa. For my dad. I would definitely be willing to go on a date sometime, but you need to really work on... Well- Everything really!」He put it all rather bluntly and gave her a small hug, standing up. 「Let's go talk to your dad. I'm sorry I have to be so forward with you, but after what we did, I'm not going to leave any room for vagueness.」

            "Right..."

「You let the Kalan slip.」

She stood up with him and headed for the door, Ghibli following in tight pursuit. Brendan simply followed a step or two behind. Soon after exiting the Pokemon Center, they made their way over to the gym building and entered to see the gym leader Norman speaking with a young boy.

            They waited till he was done and the boy left.「Crissa! And Brendan! How are you doing?」

            「Not so good Dad...」

「？？？」

            「What was that?」Crissa didn't understand what he said. _I guess it's some Hoenn slang that I never picked up?_ 「He asked why that is. She doesn't understand the slang here sir.」

「My apologies. But yeah, why is tha-」He saw as she turned her head and revealed her neck. Brendan looked down to his feet and stood straight up like a board.「Did you two- When? How? Why!?」Norman asked. He seemed... Happy? Surprised? This caught them both off guard.

            「You're not mad? Why aren't you mad? Mom had me come tell you. We barely got to know each other and I did something stupid! This makes no sense!」「Sir, you can't honestly be okay with that? Like- completely okay with that? I don't understand...」

「Crissa. Your mother did the same exact thing when she met me. I had a much better figure when I was younger and a rookie Gym Leader, but I was still good looking- AND a Gym Leader!」

They were both speechless. 「First date and everything. Was an exciting time! I don't care what you do. You're an adult now, your mother was probably just getting worked up because she did the same when she was younger.」

 

They left the gym after talking for a little longer, and the boy from before returned to the front of the Gym. Norman stepped out behind Brendan and Crissa, and looked to the boy.

「Wally, I want you to meet the Professor's Son and my Daughter. They're going to go help you catch your very first Pokemon today!」They wheeled around and looked at Norman. 「What!?」「What!?」

Norman leaned in to whisper to both of them. 「I can put you both in a ditch if I so desired. You really didn't think I'd just let it slide did you Crissa? That was still highly irresponsible. And as for you Brandon, what would your dad think if I was the one who told him? Over Pokegear no less. He'd be very upset with you.」

They both gulped and turned back to Wally.

「Yup! We're gonna help you catch your first Pokemon!」They cheered in unison.

* * *

Mid-morning - Route 102 - Outside Petalburg.

 

Concentration as the group slowly moved towards the tall grass. Norman watched from a bit further back. Brendan stayed at the edge of the grass, and Criss helped Wally as they ventured into the grass with a Zigzagoon borrowed from Norman.

「Thank you so much for helping me, really.」  
            「No problem. Really... Not. A. Problem.」She said with the most fake smile ever. Wally looked worried, but on top of that, he looked frail.

            「Why are you catching a Pokemon yourself in the first place?」

「To become a trainer, and a Pokemon battler. So my parents will stop worrying about me so much, with a Pokemon to protect me.」He seemed spirited and enthusiastic, but she thought about the reality she'd already seen. The Pokemon Ghibli had already killed.

Was he really ready to become a trainer?

 

Was she..?

 

In the end, Wally weakened a wild Ralts with the Zigzagoon and captured it with a Pokeball, leaving with it and a large smile. Brendan and Crissa thought about how to go about this, and figured they could actually keep traveling together since they were both collecting badges. At least, for a little bit. As soon as they passed out of Petalburg into Route 104, Crissa encountered a Wingull, something she knew would be a big asset to her team. She had Cooper weaken the Pokemon so she could capture it, and healed it back up after it had become a part of their team.

It seemed to be incredibly shy, but she would get used to it. The team welcomed Jette with open paws, and she soon got a little more comfortable hanging around Ghibli at least.

 

J:*Ghibli.*

G:*Hmm?*

J:*Will you keep me safe, if something ever happens to me?*

Ghibli paused. *Only if you can return the favour.* He made sure to lock eyes with her.

She nodded back and smiled. *Of course Ghibs.*


	4. First Encounter of the Aqua kind.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crissa makes her way through the Petalburg Woods and has a run in with Team Aqua. Ghibli fights again, and after reaching Rustboro for a day of training, things heat up between Crissa's Treeko and Brendan's Torchic when they have a chat that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took a while to write, I half hit a block, and needed to really figure out where to go with this. Hopefully this is a good chapter, and next up is the Gym battle! Stay tuned and leave some feedback~!

With all her Pokemon sitting tightly in their Pokeballs, Crissa passed a small shack as she walked with Brendan, looking over to him.「Who lives there?」She asked.「Oh, just some old guy with a boat and a Wingull. He's a pretty nice man though, and I've been on his boat once before. Let's stop by and say hi, he shouldn't mind.」

            「You sure about that?」

「Yeah, he's really friendly and he only ever really has that Wingull to keep him company.」

            「Alright.」She walked over to the shack, ready to knock on the door as it opened and she was face to face with the old man living there.

「Ah, hello there young miss, how can I help you?」He asked with a big smile.

            _Wow, he is friendly._

            「Ah, I was just stopping by to say hi. My friend here said he knows you.」She pointed over to Brendan.

「Ah yes! The professor's son, how are you doing mister?」He went over to shake Brendan's hand. 「We're doing well sir. We were wondering if we'd be able to make use of your boat if the situation arose?」「Well, I don't think that would be a problem as long as it doesn't come up too soon; I'm doing some work on my vessel, so it won't be going anywhere soon, son.」

Brendan nodded and waved a hand.「Not a problem at all sir, we're headed towards Rustboro and more over that direction. Hope you have a nice day sir.」He motioned for Crissa to follow him.

            「Why would we need his boat?」

「Because Dewford is a little island to the south, and there's a gym there.」He said, holding a finger up matter-of-factly.「Anyways, I need to get to Rustboro quickly, so I'll see you around.」

She waved him off and looked around, seeing a trainer playing with his Zigzagoon.

            _Maybe he'll want to battle. I'm gonna train here for a bit, since the Petalburg Center is nearby._

* * *

            "Cmon Jette! You can do it! Water gun again!" She cheered for her Wingull and encouraged Jette to improve her aim. Everyone else was resting at the moment, and after stopping by at the Pokemon Center, she returned and proceeded into the Petalburg Woods.

She looked around the tall grass, numerous bushes and trees, trying to find a path to stick to. She saw a few bug catchers and continued throught the tall grass until she came back to a clearing in the path, a Wurmple looking at her from its spot out in the open.

            "Oh. Hello there." She said as she reached for an empty Pokeball. It looked at her and shot silk string at her shirt, squirming as it seemed to be giggling. She sighed and just tossed the Pokeball at it while opening up her Pokedex to read its info.

            "Interesting. It can evolve into two differ-"

「Stop! What are you doing? I'll have you know I work for Devon Corp, and I will have the authorities looking for you if you don't leave me be!」A voice cried out off the side of the path.

            _Someone is in trouble!?_

She got up and shot off towards the voice after picking up the Pokeball with her new teammate in it. She soon came up on a man in an odd uniform holding onto the arms of someone in a lab coat. 「I said I’m taking the parts nerd!」

            「Hey! You, what are you doing there!?」

「Help me please, you're a trainer right?」The man in the lab coat begged to her. 「This man is trying to steal the Devon Corporation's hard work!」

「Pfft, you're outta your league kid. You wanna mess with Team Aqua?」

            「That sounds right up my alley! Cmon out Ghibli!」She held forward a Pokeball and opened it, her Treecko popping out and standing ready.

「Go Poochyena!」The other guy called out his Pokemon.

            "Alright Ghibli, you know what to do, let's take this guy down!"

He looked at her oddly, not able to understand what she was saying.「Poochyena, tackle that runt of a lizard!」The Pokemon responded by running forward, and tried throwing itself again Ghibli as he spun, slamming his tail against the Dark-type's face. It didn't take long for the combatant to order his Pokemon back up as Ghibli darted to it, grabbing hold and biting into it's shoulder. The dog kicked around, letting out a loud whining howl before running Ghibli into a tree. Ghibli let go and fell to the ground, getting back up preparing for the next attack. The Poochyena stumbled though, weaked deeply by the last hit.

「W-what the heck! Who are you kid? How are you that strong?」The man looked over to Crissa.  
            「I'm not anyone special, but I'm not gonna stand around and let someone get mugged! Who the hell do you think you are?」Ghibli had already begun walking over to his opponent.

「You got alot of nerve to mess with Team Aqua, kid!」He took a step forward and then grabbed his Pokeball, to finally see what was happening between them in the grass.

Ghibli:*Tell me your name.* He said as he grabbed the dog by the chin and turned his face up to look at him.

Poochyena:*It's... Terry...*

Ghibli:*I'm sorry you had such an incompetent trainer Terry.*

Terry looked at Ghibli as he was tossed onto his back. 「Poochyena, return!」The man called out. Ghibli lunged for the Dark-Type's neck. The red light shot out, halfway to the man's Pokemon before the Pokeball deactivated prematurely. Crissa and the man stared at Ghibli as the Poochyena lay still in the grass, bleeding profusely from its neck. Ghibli walked back over to stand by Crissa and wiped his mouth. The man fell to his knees.

 

They continued to both look at the now dead Pokemon, and Ghibli. Crissa balled her hands into fists and closed her eyes as she walked past the poor creature and up to the Team Aqua Grunt, holding out her hand.  
            「You w-will give b-back what you have s-stolen...」She demanded shakily. He looked at her with a tinge of fear in his eyes, falling back and dropping the box as he continued to retreat from her. 「What ever y-you say chick! You're a fuckin' fr-freak!」He got up and began to run away through the forest. She looked over to the man in the coat, recalling Ghibli to his ball and ran after the Aqua Grunt.

「Miss! Wait! What about-!」The man simply grabbed his box and looked at the still bleeding corpse. He looked forward and walked away.

 

Nobody left this feeling comfortable.

 

She followed the Aqua Grunt all the way to Rustboro, but lost him after that. Huffing, she leant over with her hands on her knees and catching her breath.

            "Arceus damnit... I lost him." She muttered as Ghibli forced his way out of the Pokeball. "W-what the hell, I didn't call you out Ghibli." He stood in front of her and simply pointed to the Gym.

            "Later Ghibli. We need to get you fixed up and train. I know you're hurt from being slammed into that tree." Ghibli hissed a little, but she was right, he was just hiding it. A stop by the Pokemon Center and a few minute later, the team was back out on Route 104. They challenged the various trainers there, including the fisherman.  
「I'll show you what my Pokemon can do!」He seemed pretty pumped, but sent out a Magikarp.

            "Go Jie. Just keep stinging it." She said, her Wurmple taking the center stage and stinging the Margikarp with it's tail. Three Magikarp later, Jie began to glow. "Woah!" The fisherman handed over the prize money, and went back to fishing with a huff. But Jie had evolved into a purple-cocoon-ish Pokemon. "Jie, that's awesome! You're already getting stronger." Jie seemed happy that Crissa was proud of her, because she knew she was no where near Ghibli or the others.

They continued to train for the rest of the afternoon before turning in at the Pokemon Center. With a pretty good amount of earning off the other trainers, they even ate at a nice place in Rustboro. It was a nice little place with a Trainers School, so she made a point to brush up on her studies.

That night, as she was walking back into the Center and heading back to her room, she saw Brendan setting up on a cot in the lobby and walked over to him. "Hey Brendan."

「Oh, Crissa. Hey there, why the Kalan?」She wasn't just getting his attention, but Brendan saw the guy behind him was also looking over at them. "Oh, sorry... Right, public space."

            "Hey, since I got here earlier in the day, would you like to spend the night in my room with me?" The guy behind Brendan was trying desperately now to figure out what they were saying, but it was gibberish to him.

"I dunno... that might not go over so well with the Pokemon Center staff."

            "Please?" She blushed and nervously fiddled with her hands.

"Hm... Fine. I'll do this for you." He picked up his things and walked over to her. He looked back to the guy on the cot in the lobby who was giving him a thumbs up and a smile, after Crissa had turned to lead the way. Brendan grumbled to himself. She let Ghibli out much like she had in Petalburg, and Brendan had let his Torchic- Toto, out with Ghibli.

            She undressed and looked to Brendan as she sat on the bed, who looked back as he chuckled. "Really, here?" She shook her head and replied, "Keep your boxers on, but I'd just like to... well, spooning with you was kinda nice. So I wanna do that again." He nodded in response. "Fair enough." They got under the covers together as he wrapped his arms around her and got comfortable. She shivered and whispered.

            "Ghibli killed another Pokemon today..." Brendan felt her shift.

"I s-... Are you okay?"

            "Do you think I'd have asked you to be here if I was..?"

"No." He understood and held her. "I guess things were different over in Kalos."

            She nodded. "Very different."

* * *

Ghibli:*Toto, what are you going to do when your trainer wishes to challenge the Gym here?*

Toto:*Sit back and let my teammates fight. I'm at a clear type disadvantage and would only hinder him by fighting.*

G:*Well at least you understand that much.*

T:*Yeah, and I also understand I don't have to be a murderer.*

Ghibli looked at him with an glare. *What is that supposed to mean?*

T:*I know what you did in the forest, Brendan and I were training there and we caught the sounds of battle and watched from afar.*

Ghibli sat over on a fence. *Tch... So what? I'm strong, I shouldn't need to care.*

Toto jumped up, kicking Ghibli in the stomach and knocking him back off the fence. *Listen to you! Just like when we were young! Did you see your trainer's face?*

G:*Wha-! Hey! What does it matter what my trainer thought of that? Your trainer is well accepting of that happening, but because she isn't, I'm supposed to purposefully weaken and limit myself?*

T:*I haven't killed anything this whole time Ghibli- You're a monster, face it.*

Ghibli got up and pushed Toto down by grabbing his neck. He held the Torchic down and got up in his face. *That's Tauros-shit and you fucking know it Toto! I will never forget what you did to my brother you piece o-* He stopped, his eyes narrow as he looked at Toto, who started crying. He didn't loosen his grip or let up on the Torchic. *I know you are capable of killing, bird. If you don't get it together, One day, I'll get my revenge.*

He had let go now and backed off.

T:*You know I didn't mean to do that...*

G:*It doesn't matter. It happened.*

T:*... Then I'm not going to lose to you Ghibli. If you think that killing is the only way to stay on top- next time we meet, I'm going to take you down too.*

G:*You may have the type advantage, but you are weak. I look forward to tasting your blood...*


	5. A Rock and A Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crissa finally takes on her first Gym. She earns a Gym badge, but she doesn't know where the ends were justified by the means.

Morning rolled around. Crissa woke up next to Brendan, who was laying back with his Pokegear. "Oh, you're up finally."

            "Yeah, how'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well to be quite honest. It's actually wonderful to be sleeping with you."

            "Is that so? I can quote you on that?" She chuckled as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

He thought about what he just said.「N-not like that! You know what I mean!」

            "Hey, chill. I was just joking Brendan." She tugged him close and kissed him on the cheek.

"So Crissa, today you're gonna challenge the Gym today right?"

            "Well yeah, I gotta get my first badge."

"Are you worried?"

            "Why would I be worried?"

"Because Roxanne uses rock types. Ghibli will be your strongest and most reliable fighter against her Gym." He looked at her with worry.「Do you think you'll be alright.」

She nodded. "I think I'll be ok Brendan."

He nodded and yawned. It was about 8 am.

 

They went out for breakfast together, went and studied together, trained a bit together, and both stopped by the Flower Shop south of Rustboro.「Brendan. Can you help me understand something?」He nodded and tended to the berry plants outside the shop as they replanted some berries together.「What is it Crissa?」

            「Why is it that Ghibli is so aggresive?」She asked very quietly.

「I don't know, to be honest. Pokemon aren't exactly easy to understand to be honest. They're like us. They have their own minds and experiences that shape who they are as they grow. They're not just creatures you train to fight or compete in contests. They can communicate with us, to an extent, unless it's a Pokemon with psychic abilities.」

She watered the berries that they planted and stood there with him, sighing heavily.

            「Do you think I should use Ghibli to take on Roxanne's Gym?」

He nodded.「Even if he's aggressive, even to the point of killing, it's still within the league's rules. Death is just a thing of life and nothing lives forever, unless it's literally Arceus itself.」

She nodded and set the Wailmer-pail away after emptying it.「Right, then I'm off to the gym.」

* * *

Crissa walked into the gym and looked down at Ghibli who had walked beside her.

            "Alright Ghibli... I want you to do your best, but I don't want you to go over board. Please try not to kill anyone here."

Ghibli hissed, but nodded. They walked in together and after fighting both of the young trainers within the room, the walked up to the battle area and confronted Roxanne.

            「I'm here to challenge you for the Stone Badge, ma'am.」

「Indeed you are. You and that Treecko of your seem to be quite strong, so this will definitely be a challenge for me.」She smiled. She was smiling at Crissa. Crissa felt a little uneasy, but pointed forward. "Let's go Ghibli. Remember, just hold back a little. I don't want to kill her Pokemon."

The Gym leader sent forth her first Pokemon, a Geodude.

Ghibli readied up on all fours. The judge beside the arena held a flag up, and as it waved down. Roxanne and Crissa both commanded.  
「Rock Throw!」"Absorb!" The Geodude had managed to dig it's hands down and chucked a boulder at the now airborne Ghibli. It clipped the lizard as he came down on top of the Geodude and pulled energy out of the Rock-type before jumping away.

It fell limp, only to slowly get back up. Ghibli was toughing out it's own wound as it stood back up, bleeding from one leg.

            "Quick Attack!" Ghibli darted forward with blinding speed, approaching the Geodude almost instantly.「Geodude, Ro-」And as Roxanne gave the command, Ghibli had grabbed it by the wrist, bounded over it and flipped it face down as his off hand cracked into the Rock-type. The other arm touched down and before Ghibli could hit it again, it was recalled by Roxanne.「What was that!? Control your Pokemon, trainer! I won't be allowing this kind of behavior here!」

            "Ghibli, what did I say!?"

The Treecko retreated back towards his trainer and looked up to her with a grin. "This isn't funny you little-" She had raised a hand as if ready to hit him before she realized what she was doing. Ghibli looked at her with a changed expression now, and took a step back.

            「If you're done over there, I'd appreciate you speak a language I could understand a bit more than every tenth word.」Roxanne announced with her next Pokemon ready on the battlefield. Ghibli set back up, and looked to his next opponent, a Nosepass.

 

「Fight!」The judge declared as he waved his arm down with the flag.

And it began. Ghibli had darted forward, getting a solid strike with a hand and leeching energy from the Rock-type, but noticed it resisted it much more than the Geodude before it. The nose pass slammed down and sent a few small boulders flying through the air towards it's next position, the rocks cracking over it. "Ghibli! Get over here!"

「Hm... have you not trained that Treecko enough? It seems rather slow.」Roxanne had commented. Crissa took a second as Ghibli made his way back to as she quickly sprayed a potion onto his now gashed open leg. "They keep hitting you low... Try not to run from it too long. And run around it, instead of back and forth." Ghibli nodded, seeing her knowledge begin to make its appearance. He thought these Pokemon would be slow since they're Rock-types, but it turns out that he was wrong. After that, he began circling, making an attack and bouncing out a short distance before circling in again. Absorb after absorb, getting clipped by rocks and ramming attacks from the Nosepass. Finally after one last absorb, he noticed it falter trying to get a few rocks out of the cratered battlefield.

            "Now Ghibli! Quick Attack!"「Follow it Nosepass! Don't let it get you just yet!」

Ghibli ran faster and faster, pushing his legs as the Nosepass seemed to be able to spin in place enough to keep up with him. He pushed himself to the point of nearly breaking his legs from the sheer amount of abuse they'd taken before seeing it slow down and as it passed around the Nosepass, he came back in front of it and crouched.

Both trainers and the judge watched carefully as Ghibli lauched himself into a bullet jump, crashing head first between the Nosepass' eyes. There was a deafening crack in the silence as everyone looked at the field, seeing blood drip to the floor, followed by large splinters of rock and iron. Ghibli fell and rolled away from his opponent who quickly fell over on its side.

Crissa ran forward and quickly grabbed Ghibli to clean the bleeding gash on the top of his head. Roxanne walked forward, looking to the dead Steel-type. The judge slowly raised a flag.「The winner of this match... challenger Crissa...」

「You're not stupid, commanding your Pokemon to move strategically like that... So what do you gain from killing other Pokemon?」

            「I'm sorry, I told him not to do this... I didn't know he'd st-」

「So even after ordering him to control himself, he still disobeys you!? That's not a Pokemon that needs to be here in the Pokemon League competition! You will leave here and either box that thing or get rid of it!」

            「What? I can't get rid of Ghibli just bec-」

「You have no right harming the other trainers participating in the League with that creature! You don't have the power to choose who lives and who dies and because you can't control that thing, you've gone and killed my Nosepass!」Roxanne was in tears now as she knelt down.

            「I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen! But I'm not new to this at all! I competed in the Kalos League and I saw Pokemon die there. I never lost any of my own partners, not until trying to challenge the Elite Four... I lost some of what had been life long teammates there. I have been trying to stop Ghibli from doing this, but he's now one of my lifelong teammates. I won't be stopping anytime soon ma'am.」She was on the verge of tears herself.

Ghibli looked at Crissa with surprise. Roxanne stood up and composed herself.「Leave my Gym...」

            「What about my badge! You can't deny my badge just because of a severe casualty, This isn't against the rules!」

「But if I give you this badge, what is that really saying? That this behavior from not only you, but ANY OTHER TRAINER is okay!? This is acceptable!?」

Crissa lowered her head and looked at the Nosepass. The entire face of the Pokemon was cracked and the eyes were dark.

「Take this badge, and NEVER return.」Roxanne took the badge, along with a TM case and tossed them to her feet. Crissa leaned over and picked them up, turning and leaving. "Cmon Ghibli..."

* * *

That evening - Outside Rustboro

            "Ghibli. I know that you want to keep getting stronger, and you can't be holding yourself back when you fight... BUT you have to in situations like that. In Gyms and other highly public places... You can't do that."

G:*I'm trying to do this for you! At least... I was. I didn't know you'd lost close ones like this before. I thought you were another naive and pampered trainer.*

Crissa didn't understand him, but saw a sad look on his face. "If I knew what you were saying... It'd probably be something that would have made me feel even a little better about all this." She said while petting him on the head. "Ghibli. I'm getting stronger as I go along with you and all the others. Believe me... I won't let you down, but you have to do the same for me."

He nodded and looked to her belt.

She nodded and let everyone out on the sandy shores north of Rustboro, where she had gone with Ghibli to talk. "Cmon out everyone, let's rest for a bit and have some fun."

The Pokemon had all taken to the sand and split up. Cooper and Marie were playing together, and Jie and Jette had taken up close space to Ghibli, making sure he's alright.

            「I heard about your win at the Gym. Went about as expected.」A voice said from behind her.

She turned and saw Brendan with his Torchic walking onto the sand and smiling as he sat next to her.「I'm glad you won~」

She weakly smiled and nodded.「It's still tough though. Roxanne was devastated by what Ghibli did.」

「We can't all win. There will be casualties when you're a trainer in the League. I'm sorry but I don't really know how else to help you along.」

            「Having you around helps. I guess I just didn't want to accept what happened during my final trial back in Kalos.」

They watched as their Pokemon, played and chatted more about other places around Kalos and Hoenn, each giving info about their own home areas. After the time together, they both went back to the Rustboro Pokemon Center to rest.


	6. Midnight Masquerade.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crissa seems to almost forget about the worries of the gym battle with Roxanne after being woken up in the middle of the night by her Pokemon, but gets 2 new members to her team and learns a bit more about who runs Team Aqua. Ghibli evolves, as does Jie, but nobody is comfortable with Altair, the new Nincada on the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for taking so long with this chapter. Another gym battle coming very soon!  
> Don't think I've forgotten what happened last chapter though, and do leave feedback, feedback helps me write these chapters faster!

Ghibli scurried up from underneath Crissa's pants and looked around the room. He got up on the bed and climbed to sit on Crissa's stomach. Brendan lay next to her, arm over her midsection as the slept. *Crissa.* He looked as he tried to speak to his trainer. *Crissa wake up.* Nothing seemed to be stirring her, but he seemed to have woken Toto.

            T:*Ghibli wha- Woah... you hear that?*

            G:*Yes, that is why I'm trying to wake my trainer up. Help me.*

Toto looked over and hopped up on top of Brendan. He started chirping loudly and startled both of the trainers from their sleep.

「Torchic! What is it! Arceus' name- what are you doing!?」both trainers were agitated until they looked to both the Treecko and the Torchic together, calm now as the hopped off the bed and moved over to the door. The two together continued to call for their masters as Brendan looked to Crissa, the both of them getting dressed and leaving their room.

The pokemon led the way outside the Pokemon Center and up the middle street of Rustboro, towards the Gym.

            "You have alot of nerve you little shit! It's freezing out here in the middle of the night and-"

            「Crissa- quiet!」Brendan ordered her in a hushed voice and pulled her back around the corner of the Pokemon Center. Toto and Ghibli scurried over to a bush across the street as they looked down the road. A man in odd blue clothing was leaving from the building across the gym holding a Wingull and a dufflebag, and headed out the town's northern route paths.

            "What's out that way?" Crissa whispered.

「Would it kill you to speak Hoenn please, I'm tired... but... the only paths out of here are dead ends. The north is a rocky shoreline and steep mountain cliffs. The other path leads to the Rustboro/Verdanturf cave, but that collapsed not too long back. It seems like he left for the cave.」

            「Sorry, but I'm tired too. I honestly may have not understood half of that, but I saw that Pokemon was tied up. He's up to something- let's go.」Crissa ran over to get Ghibli, and followed in the man's direction.

Brendan got Toto into his ball and followed Crissa.「We should really contact the police if we think something illegal is going down Crissa!」Brendan said while trying to stay quiet as they ran out towards the cave.

            「Cool. Let me know how that goes, I'll see you in the cave.」

「Damnit Crissa!」He stomped his foot, but didn't follow any further than the town fence. Pokemon awake during the night tended to be a bit more hostile than those found in the grass during the day. As she navigated the grass, she looked outward and saw a shack with a light on inside. _There might be people who can help in there!_ She continued to move towards the shack until the grass began to move. She immediately called Ghibli forth.

            "Whatever it is, we need to be careful Ghibli..." She whispered as the Treecko moved forward. As he continued his steps, a mantis-like large shelled insect jumped forward and caught him off gaurd, sinking its front claws against his shoulders and its teeth against his arm. Ghibli reeled and flung it off as he curled up.

            "Bug type!? Okay, gotta stay calm... Jette come out!" She retrieved the ball from her belt calmly and looked to Ghibli as the Wingull took the space between them and the attacker. "You'll be fine Ghibli, just relax and let me help you." Jette looked back and saw him in pain.

J:*Ghibli! What happened?*

G:*Stay focused Jette, and fight that thing!*

Crissa turned her head and saw the large bug making another leap just in time to take command of the fight again. "Water gun!" Jette opened her beak and let a stream out of her beak, colliding with the creature and throwing it against a tree. She looked at it as it fell, noticing its unique shape. "Nincada! Of course. I didn't think there were any outside the forest though... this one seems exceptionally tough. Jette, Water gun it again!" Jette took off, circling it lowly as she poured out another stream as it jumped, shoving it back to the ground. The Nincada twitched and Crissa ran up to it with a special ball she'd gotten from the Mart when she bought 10 together- some promotion they ran. It was a completely white ball with red trim. She tossed it fast, and watched it as it eventually settled.

            "Whew..." She grabbed the ball and Ghibli, letting Jette fly overhead as they cleared the grass and rested outside the shack. The door was locked, and the light was from a small lamp right next to the window. Everyone inside was passed out asleep- presumably drunk from the looks of bottles and cans on the table.

She let Ghibli down as she examined his wounds that she hastily sprayed with Potion to heal them up. Jette watched from behind Crissa, and worried as she was, didn't want to upset Ghibli. Ghibli looked at her trainer, an angry expression on his face. *I coulda taken it...*

            "I'm just going to guess with that look that you're upset I didn't let you fight it. I know you're not stupid, and neither am I. I didn't let you die..." She stared him down. Ghibli looked at her as she showed him his arm in the pocket-mirror she had. "Look."

G:*Wh- ... What   happened   to   my   arm . . ?*

He saw the source of the bite had completely discolored his arm and made it more olive instead of green, like the color had been drained. It didn't hurt, it just felt more numb. He bit his tongue and turned around, holding his arm close to his chest as he chose to walk to the entrance of the cave. It was eerily quiet inside, despite having native Whismur in the area, from what Brendan said.

            "Is it supposed to be this quiet?" She looked down at Ghibli, who simply shook his head. "Stick close by Jette." She said as Jette took her place next to Ghibli. They walked forward into the cave and looked around carefully as they came upon a scared Whismur. Crissa leaned down as it approached her and hugged to her arm as she extended it out. "You can come with me if you're scared... I can keep you safe." She examined it for a reaction. It was too scared to look up at her.

She grabbed a new ball, tapped it against the Whismur's large ear, and let the ball settle. That was easy, but not settling well for her.

G:*Hey!*

Crissa looked up and saw Ghibli point at a man with a bag and a tied up Wingull. It was the same person from the forest! She jolted up and turned the display on her Pokenav into lamp mode as the man grabbed a Pokeball off his belt.

            「You want that Pokemon to end up like the Poochyena you had back in the forest!?」She yelled at him, to have it amplified by the cave. He stopped.

「What are you doing here, why did you follow me?」

            「My Treecko here woke me up because he heard something outside the Pokemon Center window. Ghibli is pretty sharp isn't he?」She started walking towards the man and dropped the sturdy Pokenav as Ghibli and Jette backed her up.「Look, I don't know what your deal is, but you're gonna tell me who you work for and fast! I don't have all night.」

「Are you an idiot, I told you back in the forest, I work for Team Aqua.」

            「I remember that, but I want a name!」She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and raised her fist. Ghibli looked at his trainer in this situation, remember back to when she raised her fist at him, waiting intently to see what she was going to do to the other human.「You'd better talk before I lose my patience...」

「Okay! I work for a man named Archie! He's the leader of Team Aqua. He's got two others working for him who help him keep everything composed. Their names are Shelly and Matt.」

She nodded and looked at the Wingull.「Why've you got that Pokemon with you. Who's is it?」

「It belongs to that old guy with the boat. I was hoping I'd be able to use it as a hostage or something.」Ghibli moved in and pulled it away to safety after hearing this, as Crissa barked something at the guy. She brought her fist down against his face a few times and threw him on the floor.

They exited with the now free Wingull, the duffle bag, and only 2 bruised knuckles.

* * *

The authorities showed up to the cave 15 minutes later and took the Aqua Member into custody. When Crissa was asked what happened...

            「Well I startled him and he ran into me and as I fell back, I pushed him aside and then my hand hit the boulder that I pushed him onto. Is he gonna be ok?」She passed it off like nothing had happened.

「We think he'll be fine, but he's just some criminal hired by that wretched Team Aqua. Don't worry too much about him.」

 

As Brendan and Crissa re-entered Rustboro, the man in the lab coat from the forest was standing by the gate sign, pacing back and forth.「You! You're from the forest! Did you save my work?」

            「Yeah, here.」She tossed the duffle bag to his feet and looked at him.

「Wonderful! And I meant to give you this when you saved me in the forest.」He held out an EXP Share device. She stared at it and stepped back.

            「No thank you. Get that thing away from me.」

Everyone looked at her confused. Ghibli, Brendan, and the scientist.「Alright... then please come with us so Mr. Stone can give you a proper reward for helping us out! We insist.」She let Brendan go first and held Ghibli as they walked into the Devon Corp. building.

 

After eventually meeting Mr. Stone, talking for a bit, getting a news feature for the PokeNavs, and being sent off with a task to head for Dewford- both trainers set their eyes on their next badge.

「Bet you I can beat the gym before you can.」

            「What do I get if I beat it first?」She looked at him quizzically.

「Same bet as last time?」

            「Ha... Alright. Same bet as last time.」

Brendan and Crissa both turned from each other and looked to their Pokemon, blushing at the exchange. They returned to the old man's shack by early sunrise, returning his Wingull to him and explaining the situation. He thanked them heartily and agreed to take them to Dewford when asked. As they both landed in Dewford on this new day, they went to the Pokemon Center to catch up on their sleep.

* * *

"Hmm..." She looked to her Pokemon as she stood in her room, looking over the Nincada and Whismur specifically. "I think I'll name you Altair, and I'll name you Jakob." She smiled. Altair, the Nincada, seemed to be a small carapace covered avatar of scorn and fury- but Jakob, the Whismur, was very light hearted and happy. She figured maybe she could take him along with them and actually get Ghibli to make a change of heart from being so cold all the time. Nobody on her team seemed fun or light hearted like Jakob was. In the spent time together training their Pokemon with other local trainers on Dewford and with each other, Jie had evolved and so did Ghibli. They were all getting stronger, and she saw it Brendan's Pokemon too. She knew she had an 'ace in the hole' for this gym though, after taking a sneak peak inside.

 

Afterwards, they spent the time to rest up another day before they each challenged the gym. Crissa was lucky to go up against Brawly before Brendan did, but felt an odd emotion from the team as she boxed Jie and Jakob, keeping Altair with the other 4. Ghibli was the most uncomfortable with it, though he knew Altair was wild when he was attacked- something just felt... wrong.


	7. Backlash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another badge is obtained and the team has to talk things out, but in the end, will everything be ok? Jette and Ghibli have a heart to heart and the team heads to Slateport after the morning comes.

Mid-morning of next day

 

Crissa got up and out the door of the Pokemon Center, catching Brendan stretching out with his Combusken. She caught him off-guard with a pat on the back and poked at his side.

「Hey there Brendan! Ready to lose that bet!?」

「As if!」He scoffed at her.「You know I’m going to win since you’re going first, so they’ll be tired when I go in to challenge them.」

「So… you’re going to challenge them immediately after I go in?」She gave him a very confused look.

「Uh… Well… That might not be exactly accurate- I just have a plan alright!」He pouted at her. She couldn’t help but laugh.

            “Are you afraid I’m going win that bet?”

He blushed. “Shut up.”

* * *

Crissa walked up to the gym and in through the front doors, looking deep into the building. She walked up and Ghibli stepped forward. She stopped him and made eye contact. “You’re not fighting here.” *What! You’re fucking ki-* “Just stop. You. Are. Not. Fighting.” He hissed at her and pushed past her arm. “Jette, come out.” She commanded her Wingull out of its ball and had it perch on the floor in front of Ghibli. She looked at both of them confused. “Ghibli- I told you that you are not going to fight and if I have to stop you with force then I will have Jette fight you.” The gym trainers had now looked unto the scene in the lobby.

G:*You would make her fight me?* Ghibli simply pointed to Jette while shouting at his trainer.

J:*What? Ghibli, why is Crissa saying I have to fight you?*

Ghibli growled at her and threw his arm towards Jette. *Fight me then!*

            “Jette, Wing Attack.” Jette’s wing glows at the command and she throws her wing up in defense as Ghibli connects with force, stopped against her wing as he began to bleed. He recoiled quickly and backed up into Crissa. Both her Pokemon looked at her. Jette was scared and Ghibli was angry.

J:*I thought you were going to protect me… Why would you openly attack me?”

Ghibli began to cry. *Shut up… Just…* Crissa returned him to his ball, and looked at Jette who was shaken. The gym trainers walked up to Crissa.

「Is everything, uh- okay?」

            “Yes.” She also nodded in response, keeping her eyes on Jette. They didn’t understand what she said but went back into the gym after she nodded. Jette took a moment to calm down and drank a bit of water. “I’m sorry about that Jette. It had to happen.” Jette nods.

The Gym passes by, trainer by trainer, as Jette single-handedly takes the gym to the leader. Jette is confident, managing each battle with only minor injuries. As they approach the leader, he looks back to the rest of his Gym.

「You seem to know type advantages quite well. Can’t say I didn’t expect it.」He gave a shrug and smiled at her.「You’re certainly an interesting trainer though. What on earth happened in my lobby?」

「My Pokemon can’t handle himself well. I told him he wouldn’t be fighting here. He got upset at me.」Crissa looked at him and wondered how he could be so cheerful.

「Sometimes that happens. If you find yourself coming across any Psychic-types, they would be able to help you communicate with your Pokemon.」

            「I’ll keep that in mind. Now I’m here to challenge you.」

「Alright then, I- Brawly, will accept your challenge!」

He brought his Pokemon out and took his position at his end of the Gym Center. Jette continues to follow Crissa’s commands and the battle goes for only a brief time as Jette’s advantages overtake Brawly’s Pokemon. The fight didn’t take long.

As they left the Gym, Crissa walked up to Brendan holding the badge and smiling at him.

“Told you I’d beat it first Brendan. Now that you lost the bet, you better prepare yourself for tonight.”

“Why are we speaking Kalan right now?”

            “Because I don’t want Brawly to know that we bet sex on this Gym battle.”

Brawly looks at the both of them with a confused and awkward smile, chuckling and rubbing the back of his neck.「You guys uh... not speaking Hoenn.」

            「Heheh, sorry Brawly. I have to go now, so I'll see you later Brendan!」She left with a smile and walked off to the Pokemon Center. Once she was back in her room with Jette, she let out Ghibli, Cooper, and Marie.

            "Listen you guys, talk to Ghibli and take a moment amongst yourselves. I need to go find someone and deliver a letter."

They looked to her as Ghibli sat on the bed, arm healed after being dropped off by the front desk. "I'll see you four soon."

* * *

Jette looked at Ghibli. *Is your arm okay?* Ghibli nodded. *Good.*

Cooper and Marie both looked at them confused. *What happened, we could barely see what happened from within our balls.* They both asked

G:*I got angry because Crissa decided to bench me entirely for the Gym and I lashed out.*

M:*Why? Why do you act so immature?*

G:*I'm strong enough to fight them! I need to keep getting stronger...*

J:*Yeah, but I had no problem fighting all those battles either Ghibli. If you keep doing this, you're going to get yourself seriously injured or killed.*

G:*What does it matter. I'm nothing more than your teammate. We are fighters, and that is all we are supposed to be doing. Focused on fighting...*

Cooper looked to Marie, then walked up to Ghibli. *Dude. Ghib. We're a team, but we're supposed to get along and look after each other. What are you talking about?*

Ghibli jumped down off the bed and walked over to Jette. *Jette. Can you forgive me for lashing out?* He looked at her somewhat ashamed of himself, keeping his head lowered while waiting for a response. Jette looked at the other two. Cooper gave the closest thing to a shrug as Marie shook her head with annoyance.

J:*You said you'd do your best to protect me... and you went against that. No Ghibli, I can't.* She shook a little waiting to see his reaction.

G:*Hmph- Fine.* He turned slowly and walked out, able to open the door himself now. Cooper followed suit. As Ghibli walked out of the Pokemon Center and walked past the Gym to the shore, he started chatting with Cooper. *Why are you following me Cooper?*

C:*Ghibli, I'm worried about you dude. I know you're strong, but so am I. Our master knows what she's doing and I can understand your frustration, but what if that gym had a bunch of others that could really hurt you?*

G:*That's not the problem. I feel like I've got to be front and center and if I'm not, I'm going to be set aside and wind up staying there. And then I'll never get better because I'll be forgotten.*

C:*Well, alright. But why did you attack Jette? You know she likes you right? That must have been terrifying for her.*

His eyes widened hearing Cooper say this. *What do you mean she likes me Cooper? Like... She actually likes me?*

Cooper nods slowly. *Marie told me.* He sits next to Ghibli. *Damn Ghib, you didn't notice? Even Jie was probably interested in you. I dunno, she was put into that glowy box master uses every now and then.*

G:*I need to really talk to her I guess. I just- Argh!* He threw his fist down into the sand and looked at the scar on his arm. It was just offset the bite he got a while back. His arm was still discolored and now he had a long scar next to the bite scar on his right arm. Cooper looked him over before standing up and starting his walk back to the Pokemon Center. *Ghibli. Please don't get yourself killed. I just talk big most of the time... if you actually disappeared-* He paused. *I'd be really scared.*

 

When Ghibli and Cooper walked back into the room, they looked to see Marie on the bed and saw Jette sitting on the windowsill. Cooper jumped up and joined Marie while Ghibli walked over to join Jette.

G:*Jette. I'm sorry.*

J:*I know Ghibli.*

He sighed and saw Crissa slowly walking back to the Pokemon Center through the window.

G:*I want to talk to you a bit more... tonight. Is that okay?* Jette nodded silently in response. As Crissa walked back in, she got the balls off her belt and put Cooper and Marie back into their balls, and reached for Jette's ball as Ghibli walked up and grabbed her wrist.

            "Hey, is something wrong?"

G:*Please let her stay out.* He begged, sounding and looking as desperate as he could, knowing she couldn't understand him. Jette looked at this surprised from over her shoulder.

            "I am guessing... you don't want me to return her... ok." Crissa took her shoes off and relaxed on the bed for a bit, looking at Ghibli before tossing over and letting out a deep breath. "I wonder what he's gonna do now?" she spoke to herself.

* * *

Nightfall

 

Ghibli woke up from a nap to see Jette at the foot of the bed, sleeping soundly. Crissa seemed to be absent from the room.

He went over to Jette and sat next to her on the bed. She seemed to be resting so peacefully. *J-Jette... Wake up please.* She ruffled her wings and slowly awoke, seeing Ghibli next to her.

J:*Yes Ghibli?* She yawned out. *You sounded very desperate earlier...*

G:*I was. Cooper told me earlier that you liked me. Is that true?*

Jette moved a step away as she ruffled her feathers and looked at him. After a long silence, she spoke up. *Yes. It is true. You're the only one I feel comfortable around Ghibli. He probably only knew because Marie has been poking and prodding at me until I talked to her about it. I was uncomfortable the whole time but she wouldn't let up. Ghibli...*

G:*Don't get attached to me Jette. I'm not going to return your feelings. I'm sorry.*

She looked down in pain, Ghibli walked over to the window. *I was so desperate earlier because I need to say this. I am terrified of attachment Jette. I don't want to get attached to someone else and then lose them, or worse...* He turned back to her- *I don't want to leave this world without them and leave them with that pain.*

Jette began to cry.

Ghibli stood there, the moonlight flooding through the window over his back as he looked at the floor. Jette continued to cry.

 

Nobody was happy with this.

 

After morning came, Crissa and Brendan returned to the dock and talked to the old sailor- set out for Slateport City and on the next step of their adventure.


End file.
